Renters, advocates and the NDP were quick to lambaste him, saying he was out of touch with the challenges renters face with high costs and a low vacancy rate.

“Understandably, some renters perhaps were miffed with my remarks, and I apologize for that,” he said on air.

“It’s an understanding, of course, in this society that it’s not cheap living here, and we all have to work on making this a better place by getting higher incomes and getting more supply of rental. So yeah, would I phrase it differently next time? Sure. Why not?”

Wilkinson acknowledged it was more affordable being a student when he was younger,“although I didn’t have two nickels to rub together.”

He went on to say there is a need for more rental units, more co-op housing and a “sufficient balance” between the landlord and the tenant.